so here it is, for lately in the winter months this is what we do every day. We watch a lot more TV now than we ever used when she was younger - but we still have times during the day we don't have anything on and she has to just accept that and find something to do. Even when it is on she is not glued to the set all of the time - because she knows what we have by heart. We have no broadcast TV at all - it is all dvds in our collections.
6:30-8:30 am: wake up by leaning on me over the side of our bed 'Mumum it morningtime - get up! I need apple jack bowl. I hungry! I need socks. Here's my drink cup. Fill it up! I need butt change, here pants. Here socks. Here shirt, no I like pretty shirt NO SHIRT. Ok, shirt. Come mumum... butt change, apple jack bowl!' etc etc. It gets more and more urgent and pleading until she decides it is time to crawl up on me and shake me some. I might get attacked by a dragon or get a kitty toy put on me etc etc... Usually I distract her with a few tasks before that - getting the socks and pants, or a diaper or drink cup all rounded up and ready to come with us. She is very good about not going elsewhere in the house until she has successfully roused Mom - but I'm pretty good about not falling back to sleep on her, as well. Rarely she wakes up before dawn and I have to argue with her about it not being light out yet - and she needs to go back to bed or read a book. She usually does - until just the very first light comes, and after that she won't take that as an excuse. If I have to go to work take the time after 7 or 9 am and hand it to Daddy until I get home. She will often argue with me about going to work and I will tell her they will get mad at me and I can't buy her fish stick if I don't go - so she gives me hug and kiss and says 'bye bye have a good day see you later.'
8:30-11 am: She eats her breakfast, gives the leftover milk to the dog, and helps bring the dishes downstairs with us. She will come downstairs with us several times during the morning and gets drink cup refilled, asks for cookies or crackers or wash her hands. She may have her first tantrum in here and be threatened to go outside or put back to bed - she complies 98% of the time and straightens up. There is usually a diaper change in there or use the potty or both. She will watch a movie or several episodes of a cartoon DVD and play with miscellaneous toys some requiring more participation from us than others. She asks for things, sings songs with me if I'm here, and asks if we are going to town or to see Grandma. Daddy may lay down for an extra nap if he needs to - and Mumum will play with Esme.
11 am - 1 pm: She will ask for lunch, sometimes decide on something and help Daddy prepare it, bring it upstairs and watch TV with him while they eat. She will watch me and/or him play on computer for a bit, read a book, play dollhouse, ask to draw or build or use playdough. If it is a Mom day home and nice we might go see Grandma between now and 3 pm for a visit. Sometimes we go out for lunch if we are going shopping on a day home, or even the library. Mom might start a project or go looking for one online. She is telling us she needs to be changed more often now right after it happens - so we are getting closer for her potty training to take better root.
2pm - 5 pm: Various TV old favorites may play, something Daddy wants to watch and Esme doesn't, or vintage cartoons or Electric Company. She usually gets involved in lots of toys or running around with the animals, helping us do laundry and/or dishes, sweep the house, play with Grandma at her house. She might ask to do letters or more playdough or blocks or toy family/dollhouse etc. She watches us work on our computers and work at our workstations. She tries to get us to play with her every minute and sometimes has to be told no - we are busy. She rides the dog and torments the cats and asks for snowballs and wash her hands and pull up her socks and 'can't pull' when she gets in dozens of precarious situations. She will ask for approximately three to five snacks in this time period and bring her own spoons/dishes etc to the sink and throw away her trash - but has to be reminded to pick up toys between her activities. She will usually be good about pick up put away if she wants something she has to ask for and we use it as a bargaining lever. She gets VERY VERY active and physical in the mid to late part of the day - she runs all over and climbs on things and drags things around the room... It can get exhausting!
5pm - 7pm: Daddy might be making dinner and sometimes Mumum is just coming home from work. If I'm not home yet she might be napping while he makes the dinner. She never takes a nap when I am home unless we have been out and about and done lots of things. She will usually throw a tantrum if Mumum is coming home - especially if Mum doesn't pay attention to her immediately and has groceries or lunch dishes to put away etc etc... We will all eat dinner together and then split the leftovers to the animals. She will help us bring things downstairs. She may throw another tantrum if she is getting tired. I will ask her if she needs to go bathtub with bubbles - and sometimes she will agree, sometimes we'll pass and sometimes I'll demand it.
7pm - 11pm: Sometimes I get home from work in this time period and she is already fast asleep - usually on my part of the bed on my blanket. If she wakes up I play with her and/or work at my workstation and/or a mixture of both. She will get changed to new and/or night clothes and her face and hands washed and her hair brushed sometimes if I wasn't able to convince her into a full bath. We might call Nana in Minnesota who talks on the phone at night. We may clean up or at least make her bed and get everything ready. She might throw a HUGE fit if she has been bad (trying to get attention by knocking something over or refusing to do something required like clear her bed or table or throw her food to the dog etc.) If she has done this we make her go sit in her bed too early, or ask her to settle down because we are settling down with handwork or reading etc... Sometimes we read a few books, but more often she asks for a bedtime type movie (cinderella, pinocchio, muppet show) something she knows every word and song in and she will begin to get blinky watching it and fall asleep between 9 and 11 at night. I get her into her bed before or after this moment with a fresh diaper, drink cup on her shelf, her frog and her blanket around her. Her kitten curls up behind her back and she reaches out her little fingers and I touch fingertips with her and she falls asleep.
The Suki cat sleeps here with her most nights.
The baby gate is still up behind the bed actually mostly to keep the dogs out of her bed and most of her room where they would like to chew up her toys and blocks. It has worked pretty well - but she is a monkey and OFTEN crawls on TOP of the bed and over the gate to the table top. But, at least she is agile enough now to do this successfully.
1 comment:
Great summary. I wil try and do the same and send it to you.
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